Ikea Hack: DIY Rustic Cube Shelves

When you want the look of custom furniture but don't have the time, money or maybe the desire to start from scratch, an Ikea hack is the way to go. It's also a good route to take if you like the look of modern furniture mixed with the rustic industrial or hard loft look in home decor.

These rustic cube shelves will take about two to four hours to build and require a medium skill level.

(Image: Shannon Acheson, AKA Design)

Things You'll Need

Ikea Kallax shelving unit, 16 1/2 by 57 7/8 inches, 1

One-by-fours, knotty pine, 6 feet long, 5

3-inch on center cabinet handles, 4

1 1/2-inch narrow fixed pin hinges, 8

Magnetic catches, 4

Wood glue or adhesive

1 1/4-inch brad nails, 128

Table saw

Miter saw

Brad nailer

Drill and drill bits

Measuring tape

Sander and sandpaper

Hammer and other items for distressing wood

Dark walnut stain

Foam brush

Lint-free rag

Oil rubbed bronze spray paint (if necessary)

Step 1: Assemble the Shelving Unit

Assemble the Ikea Kallax shelving unit, following the directions in the box. Set aside.

Step 2: Cut the Door Materials

Measure and cut 16 pieces of one-by-four knotty pine boards to 13 1/16 inches long. (These will make up the door fronts.)

Step 4: Distress the Doors

Using a hammer and screwdriver, distress the door fronts by banging tools onto the wood at all angles. Distress the doors as much or as little as desired.

Raw distressed wood (Image: Shannon Acheson, AKA Design)

Sand the edges and fronts of the doors to remove any rough patches.

Apply stain to the doors using the foam brush, making sure the stain sinks into all the dents and grooves. Let it sit for five to 10 minutes. Wipe off the excess stain with a clean, lint-free cloth. Let them all dry fully before moving onto the next step.

Step 5: Add the Handles and Hinges

After the stain on the wood doors is finished drying, decide which way you want your doors to go (vertically or horizontally). Then, on the front of each door, place a pencil mark at 5 inches and 8 inches from the top of the door. Drill holes for the handle screws.

Once the stain on the wood doors is finished drying, on front of door mark at 5" and 3" with a pencil. Drill holes for handle screws. (Image: Shannon Acheson, AKA Design)Drill holes for handles (Image: Shannon Acheson, AKA Design)

Drill 1-inch deep clearance holes in back for the screw heads to fit. Be careful not to drill through to the front of the doors. Add the handles to each door.

Spray paint the hinges if necessary (it was for me as I couldn't find black or oil-rubbed bronze hinges in the size and style I needed).

Locate one hinge 2 inches from the top and one hinge 2 inches from the bottom of each door on the side opposite the handle. Using screws that came with the hinges, attach the hinges to the doors.

Step 6: Attach the Doors to the Shelving Unit

Place the doors into the shelf openings and mark holes for the hinge screws with a pencil. Drill pilot holes (size appropriate for hinge screws) in the shelving unit and the doors. Attach the doors to the shelving unit by screwing the hinges into place.

Add the magnetic catches as door stops inside the shelving unit.

Attach Hinges and Handles (Image: Shannon Acheson, AKA Design)

Finishing Touches

You can customize the cube shelf further by adding hair-pin legs, rigid or swivel casters or some sort of backing to the shelf, such as tread plate or wood planking.